Roger Richards, of Cedar Rapids, plays his trombone around town at bell ringing locations. He's piping out holiday favorites to help people enjoy the season and to give a little more attention to the campaign.

"When we feel good, we want to reach out," Richards said.

The Salvation Army encourages any volunteers with a talent, or even a cute pet, to ring bells. Lt. Sjogren said it is a fun way to double the amount of money that typically goes into the kettle during a two hour shift.

Many know there's still a lot of work to be done before the kettle campaign wraps up on Dec. 24.

"Obviously we have a ways to go to get the other half that we plan to raise this Christmas season," Salvation Army Advisory Board Member Scott Drzycimski said.